OUR VIEW: Time ran out for grandmother of accused teen

Debra Thomas did everything she could to get help treating her grandson’s mental illness — before it was too late.

Then, it was too late.

On Thursday, 18-year-old Keaun Cook was arrested, accused of communicating with an unnamed terrorist group to plan a “mass casualty event” in the Riverbend. Authorities did not give details into the plans and have said nobody else locally was involved.

It could have been bad. Really bad. And we’ll know more as the investigation and court proceedings develop. During a press conference Thursday, Madison County Sheriff John Lakin’s mannerisms would shift quickly from scripted professionalism to ghost-white appeals that this thing was real — not just talk — when pressed by reporters.

Thomas, Cook’s grandmother, has known something was wrong for awhile. She took the boy in when his mother died from an unexpected illness in 2011. It was always a struggle to get medications for Cook, but when he turned 18, he simply refused them.

“Like Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde” is how she described her grandson on and off his meds.

In 2015, she reached out to Telegraph reporter Linda Weller for help, who gave her some numbers to call for help. A story was even written about her struggles, but nothing panned out for her.

Thomas eventually decided she’d try to take things into her own hands.

In June, Weller wrote a story about a new pioneering program Thomas was starting to help mentor local troubled youth.

“My motto is, ‘no child or youth left behind.’ If I can help somebody along the way, then my work will not be in vain,” Thomas was quoted.

The story also talked about her personal struggles. The grandson had witnessed his mother’s death — right after they’d had an argument. He didn’t get the chance to make amends.

The article read:

Since then, he was in and out of correctional facilities because of his behavior, such as fighting, shoplifting and vandalism. His most serious offense was hitting a correctional officer at the Madison County Juvenile Detention Center in Edwardsville, who Thomas said kicked the boy in the face. Her grandson did not get mental health services at the facility, where he was in and out of six times, she said. Also, the 18 months he spent in isolation, while having ADHD, contributed to his declining mental health.

In recent months, Cook’s mannerisms took an even more nefarious turn. His Facebook page is an artifact of a teen with troubles that go far beyond typical angst — ridden with profanity and sentences that seem to have no meaning to anyone but himself.

… And then there’s the photo of a beheading.

We’re not making excuses for Cook’s actions. Commit a crime, you must pay the time.

Meanwhile, in the past year, Weller has spoken with Thomas so many times she turned from a source to a friend. The reporter speaks of her as a woman who had done everything she could for her grandson — unwavering love and support.

Just hours after Thursday’s arrest, the devastated grandmother again called Weller, looking for where to turn next.

Time had run out.

If the cries for help from this grandmother were so loud — so tenacious — so public — and Cook’s mental health still continued to devolve into a place where he was planning death and destruction, how many remain quiet?